Both U.S. Pat. No. 2,815,517 to Andersen, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,852 to Piantedosi disclose a canoe attachment having a seat and oar supporting brackets. U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,611 to Leather discloses a sailing vessel attachment having a seat and oar supporting brackets. However, by converting any of these watercraft in the manners disclosed, one sacrifices the ability to see where one is going.
"Forward-facing" rowing assemblies are disclosed in several patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 2,536,451 to Lanning et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,613,373 to Magdits, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,352 to Dunstan. Though enabling rowers to see where they are going, these devices are designed primarily for mounting on rowboats and do not appear to be readily adaptable for convenient installation and use on a canoe. In other words, there exists a need for a "forward-facing" rowing assembly which is designed specifically for attachment and operation relative to a conventional canoe.